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My father worked for the Steel for 20 years at the Bethlehem plant. It seems that all of our heavy industry is disappearing in the Lehigh Valley, Allentown used to have a company called Lehigh Structural Steel, was that like a mini-Beth Steel? Because Beth Steel made structural steel. Now it's all f...

I'm 38 but live at home with my mom, brother, and mom's male friend of 19 years (my father passed away March 8, 1986). I love steam trains, but sometimes I get out of hand with comments not thinking how those comments affect others or the business because I have mild autism. I made a hasty comment w...

Bieber bus used to have a stop in Sellersville, since the switch to the PA Turnpike south of Quakertown for an express run to 30th St. the Sellersville stop was eliminated. So was the stop at Colmar station. Now the only way to do "bus to train" from the Lehigh Valley to Philly would be to...

If anybody from Black River Trust reads this, I see that I am now unable to comment on Facebook. I guess I was too quick to judge based on a photograph of a coach door. And I did have wild ideas for train excursions that would probably never happen mostly about the new Norfolk Southern steam program...

Yep, us in the Lehigh Valley region are stuck with bus service, both local and long distance for the next 50 years, lol. Even rail shuttles between Allentown, Bethlehem, or Easton probably wouldn't work. NS would probably have no part in that. It's a shame that the commuter agencies in PA and NJ hav...

What happened to the plan to restore commuter rail to Quakertown/Shelly? Was it scrubbed? Now I hear that service might be restored as far north as Sellersville/Perkasie, AKA "Pennridge" using existing SEPTA electric cars by wiring the line with new catenary. Why don't they just cat all th...

Best thing right now would be to take the Trans Bridge bus from Bethlehem to Doylestown and take a SEPTA electric train from there. The bus stops right at the SEPTA station. Or, take Carl R. Bieber direct to 30th St. (no more Colmar RR station stop on 309 because south of Quakertown bus takes Turnpi...

I found these articles from March 1986: http://articles.mcall.com/1986-03-06/news/2509490_1_conrail-direct-rail-link-abandoning http://articles.mcall.com/1986-02-09/news/2513040_1_rail-line-rail-access-committee-freight-service http://articles.mcall.com/1986-03-28/news/2506235_1_conrail-abandonment-...

So, no open window coaches permitted on mainline class 1 excursions anymore anywhere in the US? Actually, the only one I know of is Steamtown's run to the Nicholson Viaduct once in a while, with open window coaches on track owned by CP which is a class 1. Is it the friction bearing issue why older s...

Conrail Historical Society said that there will be an excursion with the PRR E's next year departing from Philadelphia and using rare mileage. Also, Norfolk Southern plans more steam excursions next year for the public, who knows where they'll run. And, Reading and Northern's 425 is supposed to make...

I just read on their facebook in a long post about their future plans that the 2013 excursion will start in Philadelphia and feature rare mileage! Just have to keep watching their page and site for further info.

We NEED some long distance mainline steam excursions in the Northeast again. Who's going to do them? NS could, such as with the 765 or 4501 provided the logistics of getting the locomotives to PA or NJ. Reading and Northern won't run excursion trains on other railroad's tracks anymore, especially NS...

If NS could partner with TVRM, and now Fort Wayne, why can't NS partner with Reading and Northern and help rebuild 2102? R&N could rent out 2102 to NS while they use 425 for their own excursions on their own tracks. Just an idea. The Reading is now a part of NS's heritage like Nickel Plate and S...

Why didn't BR&W buy any of the line north of Lambertville toward Stockton, Frenchtown years ago when the rails were still in? Did CR ever offer the line to the BR&W between 1976 and 1981? What about the line south to Trenton? If BR&W would have bought that, then they could have run longe...

How can you maintain the same schedule when the ride is longer? Go faster, or have a shorter stop at the reverse point? Good to hear that 142 is back. Does 142 normally start Memorial Weekend or was it delayed due to repairs? Now, who's gonna help lay ties and rails to Frenchtown, lol? At least by 2...